Radio communication apparatus

ABSTRACT

Short-distance radio communication equipment having a Bluetooth communication feature can maintain a stable reception status by automatically adjusting the reception status of an antenna when the reception status thereof deteriorates.

This application is the national phase under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of PCTInternational Application No. PCT/JP02/01044 which has an Internationalfiling date of Feb. 7, 2002, which designated the United States ofAmerica.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to short-distance radio communicationequipment having a so-called Bluetooth communication function of beingable to communicate with other communication equipment at a speed of 1Mbps by using an electric wave of 2.4 GHz band.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing the structure of prior artshort-distance radio communication equipment (referred to as radiocommunication equipment or a main body of radio communication equipmentfrom here on), which is applied to a vehicle-mounted navigationapparatus, for example. In the figure, reference numeral 101 denotes adisplay for displaying a map screen generated by a navigation apparatus,a TV picture, or the like thereon, reference numeral 102 denotes anoperation button for switching among various functions, referencenumeral 103 denotes a panel in which the display 101 and the operationbutton 102 are accommodated, reference numeral 104 denotes an antennadisposed in the radio communication equipment, for sending and receivingelectric waves, reference numeral 105 denotes a sending and receivingcircuit for encoding and decoding radio signals to be sent and receivedby way of the antenna 104, reference numeral 106 denotes amicroprocessor (abbreviated as a μcomputer from here on) for controllingthe radio communication equipment, reference numeral 107 denotes a soundsignal processing circuit for processing a sound signal, referencenumeral 108 denotes a TV signal processing circuit for processing a TVsignal, reference numeral 109 denotes a navigation signal processingcircuit for processing a navigation signal, reference numeral 110denotes a medium drive mechanism for driving a medium (e.g., a DVD-ROM)in which map data for navigation are stored, reference numeral 111denotes a video signal processing circuit for processing either a mapsignal from the navigation signal processing circuit 109 or a TV videosignal from the TV signal processing circuit 109 based on a controlsignal from the μcomputer 106, reference numeral 112 denotes a main bodyof radio communication equipment including the above-mentionedcomponents from the antenna 104 to the video signal processing circuit111, reference numeral 113 denotes a microphone for collecting sounds soas to generate a sound signal, reference numeral 114 denotes a speakerfor reproducing an audio signal or the sound signal, and referencenumeral 115 denotes a TV antenna for receiving TV signal electric waves.

Next, a description will be made as to an operation of the prior artmain body of radio communication equipment.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the prior artmain body of radio communication equipment. In FIGS. 1 and 2, when auser operates the operation button 102, the radio communicationequipment searches for the party at the other end of the radiocommunication connection (in step ST101), and displays the party withwhich the radio communication equipment can communicate by radio on thedisplay 101 based on the searching result (in step ST102).

When the user then selects the party with which the radio communicationequipment will communicate by radio by operating the operation button102 (in step ST103), the radio communication equipment starts carryingout radio communications with the selected party (in step ST104). When asound signal generated by the microphone 113 is to be sent out throughradio communications, the sound signal is passed through the soundsignal processing circuit 107, the μcomputer 106, the sending andreceiving circuit 105, and the antenna 104, and is then transmitted tothe party at the other end of the radio communication connection. Incontrast, a sound signal from the party at the other end of the radiocommunication connection flows opposite in direction to the travel ofthe outgoing sound signal from the radio communication equipment and isinput to the sound signal processing circuit 107, and a reproduced soundis then output from the speaker 114.

The μcomputer 106 determines whether the user has performed radiocommunication end operation by pressing the operation button 102 or thesending and receiving circuit has received a radio communication endsignal indicating an instruction of ending the communication operationfrom the party at the other end of the radio communication connection(in step ST105). If YES, the μcomputer 106 ends the radio communicationoperation.

The TV signal processing circuit 108 processes a TV signal received bythe TV antenna 115, and the video signal processing circuit 111 thengenerates a video signal, which conforms to the display 101, from theprocessed TV signal from the TV signal processing circuit 108. When themedium drive mechanism 110 reads map data from a medium (e.g., aDVD-ROM), and generates and delivers a map signal for navigation to thenavigation signal processing circuit 109, the navigation signalprocessing circuit 109 processes the map signal and the video signalprocessing circuit 111 generates a video signal, which conforms to thedisplay 101, from the processed map signal from the navigation signalprocessing circuit 109.

As previously mentioned, in the prior art short-distance radiocommunication equipment, the antenna for radio communication is uniquelyplaced at a position that seems to be a desired one and that is withinor outside the equipment regardless of the performance of the party atthe other end of the radio communication connection and radiocommunication environments. A problem encountered with the prior artshort-distance radio communication equipment is therefore that when theperformance of the party at the other end of the radio communicationconnection is bad or the radio communication environment is bad, theradio communication environment remains to be bad fixedly and the radiocommunication equipment cannot maintain the status of radiocommunication good.

The present invention is proposed to solve the above-mentioned problem,and it is therefore an object of the present invention to provideshort-distance radio communication equipment that can notify that thelevel of received signals from the party at the other end of the radiocommunication connection is equal to or less than a predetermined value,automatically change the environment specification of an antenna forradio communication, which is disposed within or outside the radiocommunication equipment, thereby improving the level of received signalsfrom the party at the other end of the radio communication connectionand maintaining the status of radio communication good regardless of theperformance of the party at the other end of the radio communicationconnection and the radio communication environment.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

Radio communication equipment in accordance with the present inventionincludes a reception status determining means for determining a receivedlevel of a signal received through radio communications, and a radiocommunication status adjusting means for automatically adjusting a radiocommunication status so that the radio communication status is optimumaccording to the received signal level determined by the receptionstatus determining means.

As a result, the radio communication equipment can prevent the receivedsignal level from decreasing due to a change in the position of theparty at the other end of communication connection with which the radiocommunication equipment communicates, and can maintain the communicationstatus good at all times.

Radio communication equipment in accordance with the present inventionincludes a panel provided with an antenna and tiltably mounted on a mainbody of radio communication equipment, a reception status determiningmeans for determining a received level of a signal received throughradio communications, and a tilting angle adjusting means for, when thereceived signal level determined by the reception status determiningmeans is equal to or less than a predetermined value, automaticallyadjusting a tilting angle of the panel so that the received signal levelis increased to a maximum.

As a result, the radio communication equipment can prevent the receivedsignal level from decreasing due to a change in the position of theparty at the other end of communication connection with which the radiocommunication equipment communicates, and can maintain the communicationstatus good at all times.

In accordance with the present invention, the panel tiltably mounted onthe main body of radio communication equipment is provided with aplurality of antennas having different directivities.

As a result, the radio communication equipment can provide a maximumreceived signal level by selecting an optimum antenna from among theplurality of antennas having different directivities. Furthermore, bysharpening the directional characteristics (i.e., by selecting adirectivity toward a specific direction, i.e., a direction of atransmitting station), the radio communication equipment cansignificantly communicate with the party that can be placed at a furtherdistance.

Radio communication equipment in accordance with the present inventionincludes an antenna disposed in a main body of radio communicationequipment, a panel tiltably mounted on the main body of radiocommunication equipment so as to cover the antenna, a reception statusdetermining means for determining a received level of a signal receivedby the antenna, and a tilting angle adjusting means for, when thereceived signal level determined by the reception status determiningmeans is equal to or less than a predetermined value, opening the panelso that a front side of the antenna can be viewed from outside the mainbody of radio communication equipment.

As a result, a radio communication circuit can be placed in the vicinityof the antenna and therefore it becomes easier to design the radiocommunication equipment. In addition, a good radio communicationenvironment can be established without providing a special specificationof the panel.

It is possible to put the radio communication equipment to other useswithout any trouble by automatically making the panel that has slidreturn to its original position after the radio communication ends orthe power supply of the radio communication equipment is turned off.

In accordance with the present invention, the radio communicationequipment includes an internal antenna disposed in the main body of theradio communication equipment and an external antenna, a receptionstatus determining means for determining a received level of a signalreceived by the internal antenna, and a display means for, when thereceived signal level determined by the reception status determiningmeans is equal to or less than a predetermined value, opening the panelso that a front side of the internal antenna can be viewed from outsidethe main body, and for, when the reception status determining meansdetermines that the received signal level is still equal to or less thanthe predetermined value after further radio communications are carriedout, generating a display screen that urges use of the external antenna.

Even in case of a bad communication environment condition under normaloperations, the radio communication equipment can establish a good radiocommunication environment by using the plurality of antennas that are areceived signal level improvement means.

In accordance with the present invention, the radio communicationequipment includes a connector disposed in part of the main body of theradio communication equipment, which is not covered by the panel, forconnecting with the internal and external antennas.

As a result, because the antennas are not influenced by the opening andclosing of the panel, it is not necessary to install a cable forconnecting the antennas to the radio communication equipment. Inaddition, specification conditions required for display and operation ofthe panel have no relation to the radio communication environment.

In accordance with the present invention, the radio communicationequipment includes a stretchable antenna disposed in part of the mainbody of the radio communication equipment, which is not covered by thepanel.

As a result, because the antenna is not influenced by the opening andclosing of the panel, it is not necessary to install a cable forconnecting the antenna to the radio communication equipment. Inaddition, specification conditions required for display and operation ofthe panel have no relation to the radio communication environment.Furthermore, the received signal level can be continuously adjustedaccording to the amount of expansion or contraction of the stretchableantenna.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing the structure of prior artradio communication equipment;

FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing an operation of the prior art radiocommunication equipment;

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing the structure of radiocommunication equipment in accordance with embodiment 1;

FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing an operation of the prior art radiocommunication equipment in accordance with embodiment 1;

FIG. 5 is an external view showing radio communication equipment inaccordance with embodiment 2;

FIG. 6 is an external view showing radio communication equipment inaccordance with embodiment 3;

FIG. 7 is an external view showing radio communication equipment inaccordance with embodiment 4;

FIG. 8 is an external view showing radio communication equipment inaccordance with embodiment 5;

FIG. 9 is an external view showing radio communication equipment inaccordance with embodiment 6; and

FIG. 10 is an external view showing radio communication equipment inaccordance with embodiment 7.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

In order to explain the present invention in greater detail, thepreferred embodiments will be described below with reference to theaccompanying figures.

Embodiment 1

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing the structure of radiocommunication equipment in accordance with embodiment 1 of the presentinvention, which is applied to a vehicle-mounted navigation apparatus,for example. In FIG. 3, reference numeral 1 denotes a display fordisplaying a map screen intended for vehicle navigation, a TV picture,or the like thereon, reference numeral 2 denotes an operation button forswitching among various functions, reference numeral 4 denotes anantenna for sending and receiving electric waves through radiocommunications, reference numeral 3 denotes a panel in which the display1, the operation button 2, and the antenna 4 are accommodated, referencenumeral 5 denotes a sending and receiving circuit for encoding anddecoding radio signals to be sent and received byway of the antenna 4,reference numeral 6 denotes a received level determining circuit (i.e.,a reception status determining means) for measuring the received levelof a received electric wave, and for determining whether or not thereceived signal level is greater than a predetermined value, referencenumeral 7 denotes a μcomputer (i.e., a radio communication statusadjusting means) for controlling the radio communication equipment,reference numeral 8 denotes an antenna status adjusting circuit (i.e.,the radio communication status adjusting means) for adjusting theposition and direction of the antenna, reference numeral 9 denotes apanel opening and closing mechanism (i.e., a tilting angle adjustingmeans) for opening and closing the panel 3, reference numeral 10 denotesa sound signal processing circuit for processing a sound signal,reference numeral 11 denotes a TV signal processing circuit forprocessing a TV signal, reference numeral 12 denotes a navigation signalprocessing circuit for processing a navigation signal, reference numeral13 denotes a medium drive mechanism for driving a medium (e.g., aDVD-ROM) in which map data used for vehicle navigation are stored,reference numeral 14 denotes a video signal processing circuit forprocessing either a map signal from the navigation signal processingcircuit 12 or a TV picture signal from the TV signal processing circuit11 based on a control signal from the μcomputer 7, reference numeral 15denotes a main body of radio communication equipment including theabove-mentioned components from the sending and receiving circuit 5 tothe video signal processing circuit 14, reference numeral 16 denotes amicrophone for collecting sounds so as to generate a sound signal,reference numeral 17 denotes a speaker for reproducing an audio signalor the sound signal, and reference numeral 18 denotes a TV antenna forreceiving TV signal electric waves.

Next, a description will be made as to an operation of the radiocommunication equipment in accordance with embodiment 1 of the presentinvention.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the radiocommunication equipment. In FIGS. 3 and 4, when a user operates theoperation button 2, the radio communication equipment searches for oneor more possible parties at the other end of radio communicationconnection (in step ST1), and displays the one or more possible partieswith which the radio communication equipment can communication by radioon the display 1 based on the searching result (in step ST2).

When the user then selects a desired party with which the radiocommunication equipment will communicate by radio by operating theoperation button 2 (in step ST3), and the radio communication equipmentstarts carrying out radio communications with the selected party (instep ST4). When receiving a signal sent from the party at the other endof the radio communication connection by way of the antenna 4, the radiocommunication equipment decodes the received signal by using the sendingand receiving circuit 5 and determines whether or not the level of thedecoded received signal is greater than a predetermined value by usingthe received level determining circuit 6 (in step ST5). The radiocommunication equipment then delivers the determination result to theμcomputer 7 so as to check to see whether the determination result showsthat the signal level of the decoded received signal is greater than thepredetermined value (in step ST6), and further determines whether theradio communication processing has been finished when the determinationresult shows that the level of the decoded received signal is greaterthan the predetermined value (i.e., if YES as the result of performingST6) (in step ST7). When the radio communication processing has not yetbeen finished (i.e., if NO as the result of performing step ST7), theradio communication equipment returns to step ST5 in which it repeatsthe measurement of the received signal level.

When the determination result of step ST6 shows that the measuredreceived signal level is equal to or less than the predetermined value(i.e., if NO as the result of performing step ST6), the radiocommunication equipment carries out radio communication equipmentadjustment (i.e., adjustment of a tilting angle of the panel 3 withrespect to the main body 15 of radio communication equipment) (in stepST9). After adjusting the tilting angle of the panel 3 with respect tothe main body 15, the radio communication equipment returns to step ST5in which it measures the received signal level again. The radiocommunication equipment then, in step ST6, determines again whether ornot the received signal level is greater than the predetermined value.

When a sound signal generated by the microphone 16 is to be sent outthrough radio communications, the sound signal is passed through thesound signal processing circuit 10, the μcomputer 7, the sending andreceiving circuit 5, and the antenna 4, and is then transmitted to theparty at the other end of the radio communication connection. Incontrast, a sound signal from the party at the other end of the radiocommunication connection flows opposite in direction to the travel ofthe outgoing sound signal from the radio communication equipment and isthen input to the sound signal processing circuit 10, and a reproducedsound is output from the speaker 17.

The μcomputer 7, in above-mentioned step ST7, determines whether theuser has performed a radio communication end operation by operating theoperation button 2 or the sending and receiving circuit 5 has received aradio communication end signal indicating an instruction of ending theradio communication processing from the party at the other end of theradio communication connection. If YES as the result of performing stepST7, the μcomputer 7 returns the radio communication equipment to itsoriginal state (in step ST8), and then ends the sequence of radiocommunication operations.

The TV signal processing circuit 11 processes a TV signal received bythe TV antenna 18, and the video signal processing circuit 14 thengenerates a video signal, which conforms to the display 1, from theprocessed TV signal from the TV signal processing circuit 11. When themedium drive mechanism 13 reads map data from a medium such as aDVD-ROM, and generates and delivers a map signal used for vehiclenavigation to the navigation signal processing circuit 12, thenavigation signal processing circuit 12 processes the map signal and thevideo signal processing circuit 14 generates a video signal whichconforms to the display 1, from the processed map signal from thenavigation signal processing circuit 12.

Embodiment 2.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory drawing showing the structure of a main body 15of radio communication equipment in which an antenna 4 for sending andreceiving electric waves for radio communication is mounted. Forexample, an insertion opening 15 a for cassette tapes and an insertionopening 15 b for CDs are disposed in a front surface of the main body 15of radio communication equipment. A lower edge of a panel 3accommodating a display 1 in a frame 19 thereof is attached to the mainbody 15 of radio communication equipment by way of a hinge (not shown inthe figure), for example, so that the panel 3 can cover the insertionopenings 15 a and 15 b and can be opened and closed.

When the central direction of the directivity pattern of the antenna 4for radio communication accommodated in the opening and closing panel 3mounted on the main body 15 of radio communication equipment is orientedin a direction of the front of the main body 15, the directivity patternroughly confronts mobile equipment (not shown in the figure), which isput in a driver's breast pocket, for example, and good conditions mustbe therefore satisfied when the radio communication equipmentcommunicates by radio with this mobile equipment (see FIG. 5( a)).

On the other hand, when the mobile equipment is located on a passenger'sseat or in a bag put under the passenger's seat, the direction of thedirectivity pattern of the antenna 4 is not necessarily ideal.

In this case, the radio communication equipment causes the panel openingand closing mechanism 9 to work based on an output signal of an antennastatus adjusting circuit 8 that runs from an output of a μcomputer 7that has processed an output of a received level determining circuit 6.A panel opening and closing mechanism 9 then tilts the panel 3 in aslightly-downward direction so that the directivity pattern of theantenna 4 is inclined in a direction of where the mobile equipment islocated. As a result, the radio-communication equipment can provide agood condition for radio communications (see FIG. 5( b)).

The radio communication equipment can display the status of signalsreceived from the party with which the radio communication equipmentcommunicates by radio on the display 1 mounted in the panel 3. When thepanel 3 moves, the radio communication equipment can also display thefact that the panel 3 moves on the display 1. As previously mentioned,the radio communication equipment can automatically adjust a tiltingangle of the panel 3 attached to the main body 15 of radio communicationequipment so that the panel 3 is oriented in a slightly-downwarddirection by activating the panel opening and closing mechanism 9 basedon the output of the received level determining circuit 6 thatdetermines the level of signals received from the party with which theradio communication equipment communicates by radio.

Embodiment 3.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory drawing showing the structure of a main body 15of radio communication equipment in which an antenna 4 for sending andreceiving electric waves for radio communication is mounted. The mainbody 15 of radio communication equipment is the one that is provided asan extension of that in accordance with embodiment 2 shown in FIG. 5,and is provided with two antennas 4 built in a panel 3 and havingdirectivity patterns whose central directions are different from eachother. FIG. 6( a) is a state diagram showing the panel 3 which isclosed, and FIG. 6( b) is a state diagram showing the panel 3 which isopened and inclined in a slightly-downward direction.

Either a method of selectively using one of the two antennas 4 with ahigher received signal level or a method of using the two antennas 4 andcombining the levels of signals received by the two antennas 4 can beadopted. Consequently, the radio communication equipment can finelyadjust a tilting angle of the panel with respect to the main body 15 ofradio communication equipment according to the position of the partywith which the radio communication equipment communicates by radio.

Embodiment 4.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory drawing showing the structure of a main body ofradio communication equipment in which an antenna 4 for sending andreceiving electric waves for radio communication is mounted. A panel 3is slidably attached to a front side of the radio communicationequipment 15 so that the panel can be opened or closed, and an antenna 4is disposed in the main body of radio communication equipment so that itcan be covered by the panel 3 when the panel is closed. The radiocommunication equipment in accordance with this embodiment 4 differsfrom the radio communication equipment in accordance with embodiment 2as shown in FIG. 5 in that the antenna 4 is disposed in the main body 15of radio communication equipment, and the other components of the radiocommunication equipment in accordance with embodiment 4 are the same asthose of the radio communication equipment in accordance with embodiment2.

Under normal conditions, the radio communication equipment carries outradio communications with the panel 3 being closed, as shown in FIG. 7(a). When the level of signals received from the party at the other endof radio communication connection decreases, the radio communicationequipment automatically makes the panel 3 slightly slide, as shown inFIG. 7( b), so that a front side of the antenna 4 can be viewed fromoutside the main body of radio communication equipment and send/receivesignals can be easily passed through the panel. Because the radiocommunication equipment makes the panel 3 slightly slide, the user cansee information displayed on the display 1 in the panel 4 as before evenin this state.

Embodiment 5.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory drawing showing the structure of a main body ofradio communication equipment in which an antenna 4 for sending andreceiving electric waves for radio communication is mounted. The mainbody of radio communication equipment is the one that is provided as anextension of that in accordance with embodiment 4 shown in FIG. 7. Inthis embodiment 5 , as shown in FIGS. 8( a) and 8(b), when thedeterioration of the received signal level is not improved even thoughthe radio communication equipment automatically makes a panel 3 slidebased on a result of determination from a received level determiningcircuit 6 so that the panel 3 is slightly opened with respect to themain body 15 of radio communication equipment, the radio communicationequipment allows the user to connect an external antenna (not shown inthe figure) with a connector 20 disposed in the main body 15 of radiocommunication equipment, so that the user can place the external antennaat an optimum position where the received signal level is improved andthe radio communication equipment can properly carry out radiocommunications.

Embodiment 6.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory drawing showing the structure of a main body 15of radio communication equipment in which an antenna 4 for sending andreceiving electric waves for radio communication is mounted. Inaccordance with this embodiment, a panel 3 is so formed as to have asize smaller than a size of a front side of the main body 15 of radiocommunication equipment.

Under normal conditions, the radio communication equipment carries outradio communications by way of the antenna 4 built in the main body 15of radio communication equipment, as shown in FIG. 9( a). When the levelof signals received, by way of the antenna 4, from the party at theother end of radio communication connection decreases, the radiocommunication equipment allows the user to connect an external antenna21 a (or 21 b) with a connector 20 disposed in a main body 15 of radiocommunication equipment, which is not covered by the panel 3, so thatthe user can place the external antenna 21 at an optimum position wherethe received signal level is improved and the radio communicationequipment can properly carry out radio communications. Thus, inaccordance with embodiment 6 of FIG. 9, an improvement in the receivedsignal level can be obtained regardless of opening or closing of thepanel 3 with respect to the main body 15 of radio communicationequipment. When attaching or detaching a cassette tape or CD to or fromthe main body 15 of radio communication equipment, for example, thepanel 3 is opened as shown in FIG. 9( b).

Embodiment 7.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory drawing showing the structure of a main body15 of radio communication equipment in which an antenna 4 for sendingand receiving electric waves for radio communication is mounted. Thisembodiment 7 is another example in which a panel 3 is so formed as tohave a size smaller than a size of a front side of the main body 15 ofradio communication equipment. In accordance with this embodiment 7, astretchable antenna 4 a is placed in the main body 15 of radiocommunication equipment in the vicinity of a lateral side of the panel3, as shown in FIG. 10( a).

Under normal conditions, the radio communication equipment carries outradio communications with the stretchable antenna 4 a being contracted,as shown in FIG. 10( a). When the received signal level decreases, theradio communication equipment allows the user to extend the antenna 4 a,as shown in FIG. 10( b), based on a detection signal indicating thedeterioration of the received signal level or operates a driving unitfor driving the antenna, such as a motor (not shown in the figure), soas to automatically extend the stretchable antenna 4 a, therebyimproving the received signal level. In order to install the main body15 of radio communication equipment in a vehicle, no trouble will occurdue to the extending or contracting of the antenna 4 a when the antenna4 a is simply mounted such that it is prevented from hitting such anelement 22 of the vehicle as shown in FIG. 10( c). When attaching ordetaching a cassette tape or CD to or from the main body 15 of radiocommunication equipment, for example, the panel 3 is opened as shown inFIG. 10( b).

As previously mentioned, in accordance with either of above-mentionedembodiments, the radio communication equipment of the present inventionis applied to a vehicle-mounted navigation apparatus whose receivingstatus changes as the vehicle moves. The radio communication equipmentof the present invention can be similarly applied to a TV set whosereceiving status changes when it is moved to another installation placeor when TV channel switching or the like is carried out.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

As mentioned above, the radio communication equipment in accordance withthe present invention is suitable for obtaining an improvement in theperformance of short-distance radio communication equipment having aso-called Bluetooth communication function.

1. Radio communication equipment comprising: a panel provided with anantenna and tiltably mounted on a main body of radio communicationequipment; a reception status determining means for determining areceived level of a signal received through radio communications; and atilting angle adjusting device for, when the received signal leveldetermined by said reception status determining means is equal to orless than a predetermined value, automatically adjusting a tilting angleof said panel so that the received signal level is increased.
 2. Theradio communication equipment according to claim 1, wherein said panelis provided with a plurality of antennas having different directivities.3. The radio communication equipment according to claim 1, wherein thereception status determining device determines the received level of asignal in the Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) bands, the ISMsignal being received through said radio communications.
 4. The radiocommunication equipment according to claim 3, wherein said radiocommunication equipment is configured to conduct the radiocommunications using Bluetooth communication functions.
 5. Radiocommunication equipment comprising: an antenna disposed in a main bodyof radio communication equipment; a panel tiltably mounted on said mainbody of radio communication equipment so as to cover said antenna; areception stats determining device for determining a received level of asignal received by said antenna; and an adjusting device for, when thereceived signal level determined by said reception status determiningdevice is equal to or less than a predetermined value, automaticallyopening said panel so that a front side of said antenna can be viewedfrom outside said main body of radio communication equipment.
 6. Theradio communication equipment according to claim 5, wherein saidequipment further includes an external antenna, and a display for, whenthe received signal level determined by said reception statusdetermining device is equal to or less than a predetermined value,opening said panel so that a front side of said internal antenna can beviewed from outside said main body, and for, when said reception statusdetermining device determines that the received signal level is stillequal to or less than the predetermined value after further radiocommunications are carried out, generating a display screen that urgesuse of said external antenna.
 7. The radio communication equipmentaccording to claim 6, wherein said equipment includes a connectordisposed in part of said main body of said radio communicationequipment, which is not covered by said panel, for connecting with saidexternal antenna.
 8. The radio communication equipment according toclaim 6, wherein said equipment includes a stretchable antenna disposedin part of said main body of said radio communication equipment, whichis not covered by said panel.
 9. The radio communication equipmentaccording to claim 5, wherein the reception status determining devicedetermines the received level of a signal in the Industrial, Scientific,and Medical (ISM) bands, the ISM signal being received through saidradio communications.
 10. The radio communication equipment according toclaim 9, wherein said radio communication equipment is configured toconduct the radio communications using Bluetooth communicationfunctions.